Editorial : extreme events in human evolution : from the Pliocene to the Anthropocene

Abstract

This volume of Frontiers in Earth Science brings together ten contributions on the topic of Extreme Events in Human Evolution: From the Pliocene to the Anthropocene. It features perspectives from archaeology, the earth sciences, and other related disciplines to explore a variety of extreme events and how they have impacted human societies at various points of the past. In studies of the contemporary world, extreme events–rapid climate change, drought, floods, tsunamis, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes–are much discussed. Such events, many of which are exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change, are widely predicted to become more common, severe and costly in the future (IPCC, 2021). This is putting lives, livelihoods, and a trajectory towards sustainability in jeopardy (Reichstein et al., 2021; Thiery et al., 2021). Understanding extreme events in the deep past is not only of intrinsic interest and scientific importance, but also provides baseline data and perspectives which can help societies adjust to future challenges on our unstable planet.